One Night
by Icka M. Chif
Summary: A lot can happen in just one night. [Icka! note: We killed the Kid. Sorry about that.]


This is the result of brain fry at about 13:30 Monday afternoon, and then listening to Oingo Boingo and They Might Be Giants.  
Took us 2 hours to type up once we got home, snickering the entire time.  
Yes, I worry about us sometimes too.

  
One Night  
By Icka! M. Chif  
  
  
_Sunday was a bright day yesterday, dark cloud has come into the way..._  
  
  
The Kaitou Kid, famous for his ability to mimic voices without the aid of electronic means, was silent as he fell.  
  
Hakuba Saguru screamed for him instead.  
  
Rough hands grabbed him, keeping him from falling over the ledge and following the Kid into the ocean's depths below them. The smell of cigar smoke reached his nose and he vaguely realised it was Nakamori-keibu as his hands strained to grasp empty air where the thief had been not even heartbeats before.  
  
The Kid looked almost puzzled, even vaguely amused and resigned as he fell, violet eyes, one dyed darker than the other through the monocle, never leaving his.  
  
Shiny bits of metallic silver metal from the broken hang-glider on his back and white doves flew from his body, following him like the tail on some morbid comet, bright while visible, but passing all too quickly. Something flew from his hand, following him down as well, the light from the full moon catching it and causing a bright glowing red trail that mixed eerily with the crimson stain of his blood that floated from the wound in his torso.  
  
Time seem to slow down, almost dreamily, as the Kid gave the detectives one last grin just before hitting the water.  
  
There was a brief flash of light, and then the dark cerulean water swallowed him up.  
  
A musical 'ping' followed as a stone hit the rocks at the base of the bridge tower and scarlet sparks flew after him, both the sound and the sparkles drowned by the dark waters.  
  
That was when the real screaming began.  
  
  
_They sing to the darkest night, long before._  
  
  
"Akako-chan?" Nakamori Aoko put a hand on the longhaired shoulder, worried as the mysterious girl turned a pale chalky white. "Akako-chan? What's going on? Are you alright?"  
  
From their perspective of the Kid's chase from shore, she missed the fall of the body into the water, her attention on Akako, who was clutching the necklace around her neck and muttering under her breath, her burgundy eyes wide and haunted. A splash of water in the distance echoed as Akako nearly fell to the ground, looking like a marionette with her strings cut off.  
  
"Akako-chan?" Aoko pressed, wrapping an arm around the larger girl to keep her upright.  
  
A muffled hiccup answered her. "I couldn't do it, Nakamori..." Akako said harshly, her voice sounding as if her throat had closed up to prevent any words from escaping even though no tears fell from her eyes. "I couldn't let go of him..."  
  
Aoko pressed a hand against Akako's forehead. "I'm taking you home, Akako-chan..." She said worriedly, pulling a limp arm around her and pulling her up right. "You're going to get sick like this."  
  
Bitter laughter was her only answer as they turned their backs on the chaotic scene behind him.  
  
  
_Why can't I face it? Am I too blind to see?_  
  
  
The shadows by the large balcony window stirred, almost flickering. Akako, resting on the large chair that was affectionately nicknamed her throne, smiled tiredly. "I've been waiting for you."  
  
A shadow, half in shadow and half not, separated itself from the grey middle ground of moonlight and darkness, smiled and sketched a courtly bow in her direction.  
  
The sorceress threw her head back and laughed, uncrossing her legs as she glided out of the chair. "Do you know what you're doing here?" She asked, a sadness in her tone even as she stalked the shadow like a tiger stalking its prey.  
  
The puckish spirit appeared to ponder the question before wiggling a hand to show that they were only vaguely sure of a few details.  
  
She nodded. "You died." Un-formed eyes blinked, as if not entirely surprised by the information. "I cursed you."  
  
Now the spirit nodded, understanding showing. It looked down at its hands, one cast in light, the other cast in shadow. The part that was in shadow was dressed in white, a faint wisp that may have been a cape swirling around in the darkness in a playful wind that did not exist. The other half, the part that was illuminated by the light of the full moon, revealed a teenage boy in dark clothing. A strange yin-yang of light and shadow. He looked at her, tilting his head in silent inquiry.  
  
"To remain not part of this world, and not part of the next until your mission was completed, in which case you will fade by the light of day." She said loftily. In a less harsh of a tone, she added "You were looking for something, weren't you?"  
  
There was a slight pause, then the spirit threw his head back in merry silent laughter. The sorceress blinked, surprised by the reaction.  
  
The spirit surprised her further, by casually moving forward and ghosting a kiss on her cheek. As she stared at him speechlessly, he smiled and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to her.  
  
She blushed, tears she refused to shed for both her sake and now his stinging at her eyelids. "I couldn't let you go just like that." she whispered harshly. "I couldn't see it, couldn't do anything to stop it... but I couldn't let you go either..."  
  
He smiled at her at her again, allowing his masks to slip enough so that she could see what he couldn't say. Gratitude, sorrow, forgiveness, friendship, bittersweet emotions mixed up with a feeling of reluctant resigned acceptance.  
  
Akako sniffled back. "Thanks."  
  
Ghostly hands attempted to pat her cheek before stepping back into the space between the moonlight and the night. With a final bow, he disappeared.  
  
  
_Why did he go? Why did he leave me?_  
  
  
Saguru's arms were wrapped around his legs, his knees tucked up under his chin. The plaster covering the cut on his cheek itched, but he ignored it, lost in his own thoughts.  
  
He'd nearly had the Kid in his grasp, so close his fingers had touched the fabric of the hang-glider cape, when a pistol shot cracked through the night air. The thief had jerked backwards, the metal pieces of the glider disjointedly falling apart as gravity took hold.  
  
And the Kid fell.  
  
If it weren't for Nakamori-keibu's grip, he would have fallen with him, over-balancing from hanging over the edge of the bridge's tower. All he had been able to do was watch, witnessing the fall of a not-quite enemy, definitely a rival and quite possibly a friend.  
  
Nakamori's men were still dredging the water, in hopes of recovering either the body or the gem, the object of the heist that had taken place mere hours ago, but seemed like another lifetime.  
  
Saguru blamed himself.  
  
He had known that there were other elements at work, other elements that had been keeping hidden, watching from the shadows. The occupation of a Kaitou was a hazardous one. The Kid had been shot at before, multiple times, and he should have known that the Kid would be shot at again.  
  
Everything had seemed so perfect, the plan falling into place with an ease that should have sent off some mental alarms. The breeze that night would carry the Kid past the tallest tower of the bridge. All they had to do was reach out and grab him.  
  
It wasn't until just before Nakamori-keibu had sent him home that he realised that some of the blood on him wasn't just the thief's, he was bleeding as well. The bullet that had gone through the thief's body, shattering the glider had continued, burning a shallow path along one cheek and cutting some strands of hair off his temple in passing.  
  
He didn't know what to do now.  
  
A flicker of a light in the shadows caught his attention and he automatically tracked it. He paused, and blinked again, sure that his mind was causing hallucinations.  
  
The Kid smiled and waved cheerfully at him, casually leaning against the wall as if he'd been waiting there for him for hours. "You!" Without a second thought, he lunged at the thief, hands outstretched.  
  
And hit the wall headfirst.  
  
Off to the side, the thief smiled and wiggled a mocking finger at him. "Why you-" He pushed himself off the wall, anger heating his blood. The Kid stopped his approach with an open palm in the air, a serious expression stopping him in tracks as his brain supplied him with one simple fact that made his blood run ice cold again.  
  
He could see the rest of the room through the thief's body.  
  
Kid smiled, and motioned for him to follow. Saguru paused a moment, mentally adding up 2 + 2 and getting somewhere around 9, then followed, grabbing his deerstalker on the way out of the house.  
  
The illusive ghost lead him through the city, sometimes vanishing and re-appearing in the shadows, other times just walking along side him in fairly companionable silence. Saguru had a million questions to ask, but realised that the usually outspoken magician would probably already be leading him on a verbal chase for them if he could, so he kept silent as well. This wasn't the time for angry words that he couldn't take back, but for a final bit companionship.  
  
They most likely would not have a chance to do this ever again.  
  
They walked for what seemed like hours and no time at all, past the outskirts of the town, past some of the suburbs, towards the fields where the river began to water the crops. They trudged along side the river for a while, the full moon illuminating their path so he could see through the trees without stumbling. They walked until the Kid stopped, looking down in the water.  
  
There, trapped in roots of a tree along with various branches and flotsam in the water, lay the prone form of the Kid's body. The river had been kind, leaving him primarily intact and un-eaten. Saguru would almost expect him to be asleep and wake up at any moment if it weren't for the un-natural pallor of his skin and lips.  
  
"You're not really that good looking while dead." He commented. The ghost beside him gave him a reproachful look and playfully attempted to swat him along side the back of the head. It might have worked if the hand hadn't passed through his head instead, causing his head to stand on end. He smiled back, ignoring the goose bumps in favour teasing his favourite opponent.  
  
The Kid slowly smiled back, a shy regretful smile, and a lump temporarily paused in Saguru's throat. He swallowed it down, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I don't hate you, you know." He commented, needing to at least put things somewhat -right- between them. "You drove me nutty, but you were always a worthy challenge."  
  
The broad grin he got in return eased some of the knot that had been in his gut since he had heard the pistol shot. The Kid bowed, not one of mockery, but of respect, before taking a step back from the shadow he was standing in, into the moonlight.  
  
The un-masked visage of a classmate smiled cheekily back. The ghost straightened, shooting him a snappy salute before vanishing once more.  
  
"Always knew it was you." Saguru muttered to himself, letting out a mild chuckle as he pulled out his cell phone to inform the police that he had found the body.  
  
  
_Sunday was a bright day yesterday, dark cloud has come into the way,_  
  
  
Nakamori Ginzo was out of the office and in his vehicle before Hakuba finished explaining what he had found. He was darkly grateful for the siren's wail, startling people out of his way as he raced down the roads to what his mind described as the Kid's final resting place.  
  
  
_Oo-oo-oo-oo-oooo, la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la._  
  
  
Along the way, out of the corner of his eye, he saw ghostly visage of the Kid wave at him from a street corner, but ignored it as the by-product of an overly active imagination and an extremely stressful day.  
  
  
_Why can't I face it? Am I too blind to see?_  
  
  
The spirit vanished from there, to pause in the residences of both Kuroba household and Jii's apartment, his mother and his mentor slept in their own respective beds. The spirit hovered beside each of them, watching his mother and his mentor sleep for a while before disappearing again with out disturbing their slumber.  
  
  
_Why did he go? Why did he leave me?_  
  
  
Nakamori Aoko threw a small stuffed animal at her alarm, which was ringing loudly to obnoxiously herald the beginning of a bright new day.  
  
It missed. So did the second plushie.  
  
A pillow however, had the desired effect, leaving blissful silence in the quite haze of pre-dawn.  
  
Unfortunately by that time, she was awake and figured she might as well get up.  
  
The quite haze of pre-dawn was abruptly shattered a second time as she screamed at her best friend, who was lounging on her window sill, the full moon behind him illuminating her room. He grinned cheekily and wiggled his fingers at her in greeting.  
  
She threw one of her few remaining pillows at him, which he blithely dodged, scampering around her room, mocking her with silent laughter as she chased him. Her hair was a mess, her face still had imprints on it from the pillow, and she was in her pyjamas. And under the rage that he would see her in such an un-kept condition, she was rather confused as to what he what doing there, which only fuelled the fires higher.  
  
They ran around the room, jumping on the bed, running around in circles until she was dizzy and finally gave up, collapsing backwards on her bed, panting for breath. It was too early in the morning for such things, especially after such a late night last night.  
  
"What are you -doing- here, Kaito?" She demanded as he playfully leaned over her, looking at her almost upside down. He just smiled gleefully at her, reminding her of a puppy who was happy to see it's favourite person. She groaned and playfully swatted at him with a pillow. "Dad's going to KILL you if he finds out you snuck up here. While I was sleeping, no less. What were you doing? Watching me sleep?"  
  
The playful air around him faded as she mentioned her father killing him, replaced by an almost sorrowful one. "Kaito?" She asked, rolling over to sit upright. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly, leaning towards him. "Say something, please. It's not like you to be so quiet."  
  
He smiled at her, a small crooked grin she saw on rare occasions as he leaned forward and brushing a kiss on her forehead. She gasped, feeling no more than a cold whisper of wind on her skin, before he leaned back, looking at her with sweetest expression on his face.  
  
"Kaito?" She whispered.  
  
The sky outside her window turned a dusky pink, eclipsing the silver moonlight in shades of gold and he vanished like a dream before her eyes.  
  
  
_Sunday was a bright day yesterday, dark cloud has come into the way..._  
  
  
.: Epilogue :.  
  
Ghostly white hands tickled a fish's belly, causing it to startle and spit out the sparkling red shard it had found so fascinating. "Shoo... bad fish, those aren't for you to eat." The hands waved it away. "Shoo... G'wan now."  
  
The fish darted away, projecting fear and confusion as it fled the circle of glinting red jewel fragments.  
  
The owner of the pale hands sighed and leaned against the base of the building, looking up at the sun that twinkled at them through the murky surface of the water, so many metres above them.  
  
"Hell of a way to get over my fear of fish." He grumbled to himself.  
  
-Fin-  
  
Keibu = police inspector.  
Nutty = british slang for 'crazy'  
  
Lyrics are 'Sunday (the Day before my Birthday)' by Moby, yet another one off his 18 album. Which is really funny, had that one pegged as a song for an Inspector Nakamori story.  
  
Original mental picture was of the Kid being a 'true' Phantom Thief, grabbing the jewels then literally vanishing like a white mist.  
  
Didn't quite mean to have Hakuba's section be quite so big, but he got the flashback. The use of his first name is intentional.  
  
Aoko is the only one to find out that the Kid/Kaito is dead in the morning, once the night has passed and he's said goodbye. She's also the only one who didn't see him fall. Think the Voices had a problem with having Aoko, who we consider innocent (not naïve like Ran) watching anyone, -especially- her best friend die. Even if she doesn't know it's him.  
  
No clue on the epilogue. ^^;;   
  
Many thanks to Ann, Magik-chan, Hell's Hauntress, Ysabet and Loqi for catching the errors!  



End file.
